The first factory-made menstrual cup was made of rubber and was manufactured in the United States in the late 1930s. During the second World War, rubber became difficult to find and the production of menstrual cups stopped. The contemporary cups might have been very hard and therefore difficult to use. The fact that the user had to touch the vagina with her fingers could also have been a contributing factor to why menstrual cups didn't reach the same levels of popularity as the tampon with applicator that also begun producing in the 1930s. And of course, not at all the same number of users as the pads that were used even before these two.

Ever since this time, one time use, as well as reusable, menstrual cups have been produced in different parts of the world. Only in the early 2000s menstrual cups became more common even here in Sweden, which could possibly be linked to increased internet usage and the ability to shop online.